Partners
by entropy20
Summary: After Slade is imprisoned on Lian Yu, things are relatively quiet in Starling City. Trouble is, Oliver knows better than most that the end is usually just the beginning. Meanwhile, Roy trains Felicity against Oliver's wishes. Post-Unthinkable, Olicity slow-burn.


Hola! I started this story just feeling the need to write and wanting a break from my god-awful history final I've been working on. I have some ideas for where I want it to go, but could always use constructive criticism_**.** _I haven't published fanfic in awhile so I'm just trying to get used to the character's voices, so hopefully I do them justice. This story will mainly focus on the viewpoint of Felicity, because I feel like it's more interesting to see life through her eyes, keeping Oliver's motives "mysterious". Anyhoo, helpful hints: texts are in **bold **and thoughts are in _italic. _Also, on occasion I may jump from first-person to third-person POV. It's not an error, just my attempt at "style".

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It started with a boy. And this boy…well, he was "the boy" to end all boys. Trouble was, he wouldn't really see me with a magnifying glass and a pair of contacts. Things started out relatively simple, fighting crime, taking out the bad guys. That is all well and good, but sometimes, when I've had too much to drink and not enough sleep, I allow myself to contemplate what life with him would be like. It's really not fair, those chiseled abs, the movie-star good looks…damn him! No girl stands a chance.

At 8 a.m. on a Saturday, Felicity received a text from the boy in question.

"**Finally tracked him down. I need you."**

"Ugh…you're killing me," she thought. Felicity dragged her butt out of bed with a flutter of the heart and a smile. As much as she didn't want to believe it, she was hopelessly in love with the masked vigilante. It wasn't the excitement or mystery that drew her in, it was the man behind the mask. Selfless, caring, HOT. She took a deep breath and steeled her expression for the day. _Today, I will be over Oliver Queen. He is my friend and partner and that is it._

Pulling on a bright purple dress, Felicity felt ready for the day. _Nothing like feeling confident to start your day off right. _The drive to Queen Consolidated was quick, but she couldn't help feeling those slight butterflies in her stomach when she knew she was getting close. Holding her head up high, she boarded the Executive elevator with ease and a sense of familiarity. She had been working as Oliver's Executive Assistant for long enough that she finally felt like she belonged, that she knew what she was doing. As soon as she stepped out, Oliver was waiting with an eager expression.

"Felicity! What took you so long? We have a lead on Anderson Henley."

Anderson Henley was more than a run-of-the-mill crime lord that you usually find in Starling City. He was part of all the normal crime-lord activities such as gun smuggling and drug distribution but the human trafficking is what caught Oliver's eye in particular. Let the cops handle the guns and drugs, Oliver really wanted to save the girls. He was just amazing like that. Felicity found it both endearing and horribly maddening that he was so compassionate and selfless. How was any girl supposed to be around that every day and not lose her mind?

"What did you find?" she asked, fiddling with her tablet and trying to ignore her wayward thoughts.

"We tracked down a warehouse that he owns in Central city. The police there have investigated him but everything has come up clean. They've never had enough for a warrant but always suspected something was going down there. Well it's a good thing that the Starling City vigilante does not need a search warrant." Oliver said, the corner of his mouth lifting into a smile, begging Felicity to argue with him.

"Yup, you play by your own rules," Felicity joked. As she smiled her eyes hinted with laughter and Oliver reciprocated the expression. Caught in a trance, Felicity and Oliver both startled heavily when Diggle poked his head into Oliver's office.

"Hey guys, find anything?" Diggle asked, before he had a chance to take in the image of his two best friends, staring at each other yet not saying a word. He adopted a questioning look and then shifted his eyes to the rest of the room.

Felicity visibly shook off the moment and was the first one to speak. "Yeah, we found a place that looks like it could be Anderson Henley's hideout. The thermal imaging shows him as the dominating presence and several smaller people in the room with him."

"Well let's go get the son-of-a-bitch," Diggle replied, looking a bit confused as to why they hadn't "suited up" yet.

"Oliver has a meeting I don't think I can get him out of. My excuses are crap." She shrugged and Oliver nodded in agreement.

"As much as I would love to run in there, arrow's blazing, Felicity is right. I'll make it quick, I promise. Felicity, let me know if anything changes. If it looks like Henley is going to take off, pull me out of the meeting."

"Once again, we fall upon the problem of my excuses being crap…" Felicity argued, hating always being the one that has to make up lies quickly. She preferred planned lying that she could formulate, say, before a phone call to her mother.

Oliver smiled as he placed his hand on her shoulder, demanding her undivided attention (which he had anyway). "I believe in you, Felicity."

"Well, damn," was all she said as she returned to her desk. Better off cutting a conversation short than risk an embarrassing ramble. She had learned that lesson the hard way far too many times. Dig resumed his usual spot outside Oliver's office door and Oliver gathered up the files he needed for his meeting.

Even though Felicity usually sat in on Oliver's meetings, taking notes, they both decided it would be better if she were to stay at her desk, keeping an eye on the monitors to make sure Henley wasn't on the move. She enjoyed the break, glancing up from her romance novel every minute or two to make sure nothing was happening. Fifteen minutes later, when she glanced up from a particularly steamy scene, she saw the heat signatures of several people moving towards the exit of the warehouse.

"Seriously?!" Felicity said aloud, cursing her bad luck. "Can't you bad guys ever give a girl a break?" Grabbing her tablet, she made her way to the conference room where Oliver was leading a board meeting on expenses. She stood, watching through the window for a moment, marveling in Oliver's ability to command a room. The women watched him with predatory looks in their eyes, while the men looked impressed, albeit bored, at what he was saying.

"Ah hem," Felicity cleared her throat, subtly trying to get Oliver's attention. He glanced up at the sound and she saw by his face that he went straight from CEO-mode to Arrow-mode.

"You'll have to excuse me for a moment," he told the room with a charming smile. He walked quickly to Felicity and discreetly closed the door behind him.

"What do you have?" he asked anxiously.

"Umm, Henley is on the move. We need to go now if we're going to get there before he takes off. Who knows if we'll ever be able to track him down again? The man is a shadow…"

"Ok, give me one minute to take care of this," Oliver said in a hushed tone before hurrying back into the conference room. Felicity took the opportunity to rush back to her desk to check the video feed and gather up anything she thought she might need.

Oliver walked back into the conference room, confidence surrounding him like a warm blanket. "I sincerely apologize for the interruption. I've just been informed of a family emergency, I'm afraid we'll have to postpone the rest of this meeting," throwing another charming smile their way, Oliver grabbed his files and rushed out of the room, oblivious to whether anyone believed his excuse or not.

As he joined Felicity waiting for the elevator, he placed his hand on the small of her back, ushering her in as the doors opened. Felicity felt a rush of electricity at the contact, but quickly steeled her expression. _Friend and partner. Friend and partner._

The ride to the foundry went by both lightning fast and too damn slow. She was careful to not hold on too tight, riding on the back of Oliver's bike. _Why couldn't he have taken the car today? _When they arrived, Diggle was already geared-up and waiting.

"You guys ready to fight some crime?" Dig asked with a smile. It had been a week or two since they had seen any action and everyone was feeling a bit on-edge, like it was only a matter of time before the next Big Bad came into their lives. The ordeal with Slade had been exhausting, emotionally and physically, but things in Starling City were never quiet for very long.

"And don't forget the girls being helplessly exploited for a man's benefit…" Felicity joked, her slight glare reminding the men the reason they were really there. "Ok, it looks like they're still in the warehouse but they're obviously gearing up to take off. Maybe they realized they're being watched?"

"How can you tell that by a couple of heat signatures?" Oliver looked at her questioningly.

"Years of experience." And with that Felicity, Oliver and Diggle made their way to Dig's waiting car. Oliver spent the ride double-checking all of his gear, Felicity watching with not-so-secret admiration. They arrived at the warehouse in less than fifteen minutes, as soon as they reached their destination all three went into "Arrow-mode". Oliver approached the door of the warehouse, as Diggle came around back. Felicity fiddled with her tablet, trying to prepare for any problems that may arise. She took a deep breath, trying to expel the nervousness that plagued her gut, but at this point she knew that she wouldn't feel alright until she was sure her boys were safe and sound.

"I have eyes on the target." Oliver said, his voice cool and collected even in the face of what was probably an impending fight.

The next five minutes passed by like seconds as Felicity sat in the car, providing much-needed intel, but hearing the grunts and smacks that could only be defined as fists connecting with flesh. The whirr of arrows couldn't be heard over the beating of her heart and she held her breath, waiting for Oliver to give the affirmation that everything was alright. The silence seemed to last for hours, until Oliver gave the long-awaited "ok" that they had restrained the target.

"Notify Detective Lance that we have a high-value target waiting for him when he arrives." Oliver stated calmly, as if he were ordering a pizza.

"Got it." Felicity replied. She inhaled and breathed out slowly, calming her nerves. _Friend and partner._

As they waited for Lance to arrive, Oliver and Dig released and re-assured the girls. "No one can hurt you now," Oliver told them gently. The girls scurried outside and Dig checked the perimeter.

"I think we're good here," Dig said, "we've released all the girls."

Oliver's posture indicated that he was still on the defensive, but seemed to relax when Felicity walked into his line-of-sight. She smiled at him, nodding an indication of their victory. His eyes followed her as she talked to some of the girls, reassuring them that they were safe. His gaze went unnoticed by her, but Diggle caught the moment, raising an eyebrow as Oliver averted his eyes. Feeling the comfortable warmth that Felicity's presence always seemed to provide, Oliver was finally able to relax as they finished up. He couldn't quite pinpoint why he felt that way, but decided it was better if he didn't examine those feelings too closely. _It can only lead to trouble._

After Lance had his men hauled the "bad guys" off to jail and rounded up the girls, Oliver and Dig retreated into the darkness, confident that Lance had the situation under control. Felicity was the last to climb into their waiting car.

"So, I guess we can call this one a win. No one got shot, no wounds for me to stitch up with my mediocre medical skills…" Felicity felt the need to fill the silence. Even after 2 years, she would never get used to a car full of people just _not talking._ They dropped Dig off at the apartment he shared with Lyla, and Oliver remained silent as he made his way towards Felicity's townhome, halfway across town. She searched for anything to say and felt slightly annoyed that Oliver showed no inclination to fill the void. He, on the other hand, was happy to remain in what he thought was "comfortable silence".

"I hear it's going to rain tomorrow…" she offered.

"Yeah?" Oliver replied quickly.

"Yup." And the silence continued. Felicity tried her best to keep forbidden thoughts out of her head, but part of her couldn't help wondering. Wondering all the "what-if's" that plagued her thoughts during those quiet moments when she was left to her own devices.


End file.
